He said: “You chastise children when they are bad, as my parents did me. I’m not opposed to smacking. It is to be used occasionally. Sometimes it sends a message – but I don’t hanker for the days when children were severely beaten at school.”

Sources close to the minister said he did it only when “really warranted”.

Smacking was partially banned in 2004 when Labour made it illegal to use “unreasonable physical chastisement”.

But last year the Labour MP for Tottenham David Lammy claimed the ban was partly to blame for the London riots.

He said parents were afraid to discipline their young as they were “paranoid social workers will get involved”.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said the “confusing” law left parents unsure of how far they could go.

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It's wrong - John Cameron, head of child protection operations, NSPCC

We all accept that clear, consistent boundaries are essential for children to have a secure and happy childhood, but evidence tells us that smacking is not ­effective in disciplining children and can actually cause them long-lasting harm.

Children tell us that smacking doesn’t necessarily deter them from repeating the behaviour they were hit for and it can teach them that violence is an acceptable response to a situation.

More seriously, for a minority who go well beyond smacking and inflict serious harm, it is all too often used as an excuse in front of social services, police and the courts.